I think this story has already been surpassed by even more violent
incidents in Monterrey and Nuevo Leon. Below is the story of the police
chief killed this weekend in San Pedro. If the number of 324 for this year
so far in Nuevo Leon is true, then the killing there might actually surpass
Chihuahua.
CBC World News
Mexicans fear losing country to Zetas drug cartel
Latin American Herald Tribune
Police Commander Murdered in Northern Mexico
List member Jim Creechan sent me his comment and the article below yesterday. He also posted his comment on the THE CRIME REPORT website.
Posted by James Creechan
Thursday, March 01, 2012 01:31
There is another reason that the crime rate dropped in Ciudad Juarez. Basically, Juarez was a contested plaza for at least 3 cartel factions that relied on shifting alliances with street level thugs and killers. One of the cartels has managed to achieve a temporary dominance of the plaza and this led to the withdrawal and displacement of another: it seems as if the Sinaloa cartel has established its dominance, and Los Zetas have moved elsewhere to the east and central corridors (primarily into the States of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas). The “pacification” of Juarez is just as likely (or more likely) the result of a “turf-war” victory by the Sinaloa cartel. The “victory” in the streets has allowed the Sinaloa cartel to reallocate its hitmen (la nueva generacion) to be used on other battlefronts in Mexico (primarily to Acapulco and Guerrero, and probably to Guadalajara). Although COMSTAT may be tracking those dips, it can hardly be seen to have caused the drop. Unfortunately, there is an element of hubris in this article when it makes the claim that strategies used in New York were responsible for the violence drop. The drug violence in Mexico is a national phenomenon, and the turf wars are not limited to one city. The violence has simply moved elsewhere. Those who are interested in knowing what is happening and what is going on are advised to look at the bigger picture more accurately tracked by sites such as Walter McKay’s https://sites.google.com/site/policereform/ For those who read Spanish, NEXOS magazine (Feb. 2012) has an article analyzing the trends and shifts in homicide rates that are much more complete than this report. It’s by Eduardo Guerrero Gutierrez (http://www.nexos.com.mx/?P=leerarticulo&Article=2102543) and even if you don’t read Spanish you can make out the homicide data in his graphs and charts.
By Joseph J. Kolb
Check out the translation of this article in Hilo Directo by José Pérez Espino, commenting on a report in LETRAS LIBRES by Juan Carlos Romero
Puga. Both Mexican journalists note that the portrayal of the ZETAS that appears over and over again in US media and reports from “intelligence analysts” like STRATFOR (and I would add by US government agencies also) are simply repeating the Mexican government’s own pronouncements that have little basis on the ground in Mexico… Here’s the quote from Perez Espino:
“The security consultants Statfor practically reproduced the official
version and assumed that the Zetas are a drug trafficking cartel, and
the most powerful criminal group in the country.”
Thanks to UPSIDEDOWN WORLD for the translation and to Dawn Paley for
sending to the list. Below the translation are the original articles
from Hilo Directo and Letras Libres. molly
Stratfor’s Myth in Mexico
Written by José Pérez-Espino, Translation by Laura Cann
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 18:37
Editor’s note: We republish the translation of this blog entry to
share with our readers an important, critical perspective on Austin,
Texas based “intelligence” firm Stratfor, whose reports are often
cited and repeated without question in the U.S. media.
Source: hilo directo
Original en español:
El mito de Stratfor
José Pérez-Espino
Periodista. Es autor del ensayo Homicidios de mujeres: la invención de
mitos…
Frontera List 